Cut out cards

I have a bad habit of realising I need a card for some event or other, hoping I have something suitable already made, then discovering I haven't. So then I sit down to make something, and because my brain works better when it is under pressure, I usually come up with something I'm more or less happy with. I then sign it, put it in the envelope, rush out to post it, and then only as it leaves my hand do I remember I haven't scanned it so I can use the idea again.

These two cards were sealed up in their envelopes and I was on my way out of the door when I remembered to scan them...that's my excuse for a skewiff double scan instead of a more carefully composed offering.

I had been looking at some screen prints out in Blogland, and not having the wherewithall for screen printing, decided to have a go with paper cutting. Usually with paper piecing, the individual shapes are cut out and stuck down, but I have taken A5 sheets in each of the colours and folded them into a signature, then cut shapes out of each layer to show the colour beneath. Some of the shapes in the flower are cut through two layers of the sheet in order to make use of the second set of colours.

I'll explain the process of making the leaf card. The outside of the card is plain white card with the aperture cut in the front. A5 sheets of turquoise, green, yellow and white are laid on top of each other and folded in half with the white in the centre. I tied cotton around the signature formed to hold it temporarily together, but next time I think I shall sew the whole thing together. Put the signature inside the card and draw the outline of the leaf lightly in pencil onto the turquoise so that it fits inside the aperture. Cut out the leaf shape. Next pencil the vein markings on to the green layer and cut out to show the yellow layer, and cut out a little of the yellow to show the white. I shall explore this idea further when I have some suitable paper in other colours. This paper was from a pack of computer paper that I have had hanging around for a long time and hadn't really used because of its acidic colour, but the contrast worked for these cards, I think.